The Truth of the Paradox
by Jaynii
Summary: A Tess and Fletch fanfic based after the events of the affair and the abortion. Can the beloved couple rekindle their love?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Son of a..!" Fletch exclaimed as he knocked his coffee over spilling the hot liquid onto his trousers.

"You ok Fletch?" Tess asked hearing his curse as she passed the staff room door.

"Yeah yeah fine." He replied dismissively.

"Here let me help." Tess quickly grabbed a cloth and ran it under the cold water.

"It's fine, Tess."

"No it isn't Fletch. You've got a first degree burn; you know you need it treated." Tess said taking his hand and pushed it under the cold tap. He brushed her hand away and turned the water on. He held his hand under there for about a minute. The pair stood silent an awkward atmosphere growing between them.

"Fletch…" Tess said softly, but stopped herself before she progressed.

"Don't Tess. Just, don't"

"Fletch you haven't been focusing properly at work. I need my nurses at the top of their game, we're dealing with lives here. I know you are dealing with unfortunate circumstances at home but you can't let your personal life affect your work-"

"Don't you think I know that!" Fletch shouted, storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tess sighed, she knew what Fletch was going through and that he must being going through hell at the moment. She wanted to be there for him but to not overstep the mark. They had a history, but it was in the past now, and that's where she hoped it would stay. Fletch hadn't been focused at work though. It was the occasional slip, paperwork not being filled out properly, daydreaming, turning up late for work, but one small accident could cost lives. What if he administered the wrong dosage? The consequences could be huge and affect the whole department. Tess had wanted to talk to him about it, to be his friend and make sure he was ok and dealing with things properly. She never imagined it would have gone that badly.

Tess walked out of the ED to the small fountain seating area to the right of the hospital. She saw Fletch sat on one of the stone benches, hunched over with his head in his hands. Tess wondered over and sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry…" He said softly his voice laced with sadness.

"Don't be. I know you are under a lot of pressure at the moment."

"You think?" he scoffed.

"Fletch, I was just concerned-"

"About my performance yeah so am I." He looked at her. "Don't you think I worry about that, that I might accidently kill someone one of these days. But if I take time off for personal reasons I won't be earning, putting me and my family in a worse financial position than we're already in."

"Fletch-"

"Oh no there's more. Yeah I've taken up a job as a taxi driver because I lost £500 the other month. You can thank Cal for that. Natalie, despite agreeing that we would make a go of it, handed me divorce papers last week and plans to take for me every penny to my name. I don't know how often I'll see my kids, if they even want to see me anymore because of what she has said to them about me. So yes Tess, I am a little distracted. And I'm sorry ok?" He said sighing as he came to an end. He put his head in his hands again desperately trying to fight back the tears. He'd bottled everything up for so long, no one had been there for him, and he just took it all out of Tess.

"Fletch, I had no idea-"

"2 months ago when Nat gave birth and the baby died. Yes I was sad, of course I was, it was my child. But in a twisted sense I knew it was for the best, he wouldn't have had the childhood he deserved. He wasn't born out of love. But do you know what makes it worse Tess?"

His head rose, and he looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

"I was more upset over you aborting our baby."

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A.N: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Please review, your comments are always very much appreciated x


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tess stared at him in shock horror.

"How could you say such a thing?"

"I know it's wrong Tess but..."

"Adrian, the son that you lost would have grown up with two loving parents and it was a great loss to the both of you. Don't grieve over a mistake."

His voice filled with rage. "A mistake? How could you say that!"

"I just can Fletch." She said weakly avoiding his gaze.

"Tess you killed our baby, our beautiful tiny baby we made together, and you didn't even tell me. It was gone before I even knew it existed." He rubbed his eyes, he'd kept it bottled up for so long.

"What choice did I honestly have Fletch? Look at me for gods sake, I'm nearly 50 with two grown up children and you would have expected me to do the mum thing again? To be the woman picking up her child from primary school while all the other mothers assume I am the grandmother. No Adrian, I wouldn't have let the child go through that."

"How can you call it the child? It was our baby! And I would have been there, by your side every step of the way-"

"But how could I have guaranteed that? You had a wife and three young children of you own, plus at the time one on the way. Who were most likely to win? Your loving family, or your bit on the side?"

Tess began to walk off but he grabbed her hand.

"Tess-"

"Don't touch me." She said coldly yanking her hand away from him.

"Tess, please, listen to me."

"What more is there left to say Fletch? What's done is done, so let's just get on with our lives."

Tess began to walk off, but something made her pause, she turned back to look at him.

"What would you have done?"

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"What would you have done if I kept the baby?"

She watched a tear roll down his cheek. "I would have stayed by your side through every up and down, I would have built a life with you, but most importantly, I would have loved you and our baby more than life itself"


End file.
